Legislative Communication Tips
How to Read a Bill
Each piece of legislation that is introduced in the General Assembly takes the form of a "Bill." There are
approximately four to five thousand bills considered by the Illinois Legislature during its two-year tenure.
Unless the bill successfully passes all of the stages in both chambers of the General Assembly and is
signed by the Governor, it never becomes law. Only several hundred of the original myriad of bill
introduced finally reach the Illinois Statutes.
Bill Numbers and Assembly Title
On the cover of each bill will appear the bill number. It signifies the chamber in which the proposal was
originated - HB is a House Bill, SB is a Senate Bill - and the sequence number as it was introduced House Bill 2949 is the 2949th House Bill introduced in the General Assembly.
The title of the General Assembly is also included at the top of the bill cover sheet.
Opposite Chamber Reference
Once a bill successfully passes from one chamber to the next, the bill is reprinted and the second
chamber is indicated on the cover sheet: "S" or "Senate" is a House Bill in the Senate; "H" or "House" is
a Senate Bill in the House.
Introduction Date and Sponsor
On the cover of each bill will appear the date and at least one sponsor (from the chamber where the bill
originates). The first sponsor that is listed is considered the primary or chief sponsor of the legislation.
That person is responsible for maneuvering the legislation successfully through his/her chamber and on
to the opposite chamber. He/She must find at least one legislator to sponsor the bill when it gets to the
other chamber. A bill may have as many sponsors as there are legislators in that particular chamber usually these "co-sponsors" will be listed alphabetically after the chief sponsor.
Synopsis and Statutory Reference
Each bill will have a brief - usually one or two sentence - description on its cover. Although this will permit
the reader to discover the issue of the legislation proposed, it may be misleading and incomplete if
amendments have altered the thrust of the bill.
Included with the synopsis of the bill will be the Chapter, Paragraph and Section of Illinois Statutes that
will be affected if the bill is successfully enacted.
Legislative Reference Bureau Code
There appears throughout the pages of the bill a Legislative Reference Bureau Code. This number is only
used by Reference Bureau Staff and is not commonly designated as a reference.
Introductory Description
On the bottom of the cover of each bill will appear the words, "A BILL FOR". This is a formality of printing,
that is read during each reading of the bill. It is combined with the introductory statement at the top of the
first page of the bill.
The introductory sentence of each bill will describe whether the bill is "AN ACT" - a new section in the
statutes, or "AN ACT to amend" - a revision or addition to existing state statutes.
Bills introduced in the General Assembly generally fall into two categories - those which amend existing
statutes and those which are new law. All bill except appropriation bills must be limited to a single subject.
Enrolled and Engrossed
On the top left corner of each bill which has passed at least one chamber is the word "engrossed" or
"enrolled" (sometimes abbreviated "enr"). "Engrossed" bills have passed one chamber, have been
retyped to incorporate all amendments added in the first chamber, and are ready to be considered by the
second chamber. "Enrolled" bills have passed both chambers, have been retyped to incorporate all
amendments passed by the legislature, and are ready to be considered by the Governor.
The Enacting Clause
Article IV, Section 8 of the Illinois Constitution provides that, "The enacting clause of the laws of this State
shall be: 'Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly'." Each
bill must begin with this phrase.
Specific Statutory Reference
The text that immediately follows the enacting clause refers to the section of the law being amended and
gives the date as initially approved.
Deletion
After the statutory reference appears the text of the statutes as they presently exist. The deletion of
language being proposed by the bill is made by placing hyphens through the text that is to be deleted.
New Wording
All new language of bills will take two forms. First, if the bill is an act to amend, the new wording will be
underlined. Second, if the bill is a new act, the new wording will be regular type - not underlined (because
the entire text is new) and the "enacting clause" will be the only underlined portion of that bill.
Effective Date
Each bill may designate the date when the bill will go into effect. The majority of bills will have a uniform
effective date as determined by the members of the General Assembly - presently if a bill is passed prior
to July 1, it becomes effective on January 1 of the following year. The bill can specify a different effective
date or an immediate effective date.
OTHER TYPES OF LEGISLATION
While substantive bills constitute the most common type of legislation considered by the General
Assembly, other legislative action takes the following forms.
Appropriation Bills include funds for personal services, contractual services, travel, commodities,
equipment, permanent improvements, land, electronic data processing, operation of automotive
equipment, telecommunications, and contingencies for the State of Illinois. By passing an appropriation
bill, the General Assembly is simply authorizing an agency of state government to expend a certain
amount of money.
Resolutions (H.R. "House Resolution" or S.R. "Senate Resolution") usually commemorating a significant
event or occurrence in the State of Illinois (i.e. Veteran POWs returning home to Illinois, birthdays of
Illinois citizens, accomplishments of a legislator's constituents etc.). Procedural matters (rules,
establishment of committees, committee assignments) are also governed by resolutions. This legislation
ONLY has to successfully pass the chamber where it has been introduced. Resolutions do not have to be
signed by the Governor.
Joint Resolutions (H.J.R. "House Joint Resolution" or S.J.R. "Senate Joint Resolution") are the same in
format as the Resolution; however, both chambers must successfully pass the legislation.
Constitutional Amendments (H.C.A. "House Constitutional Amendments" or S.C.A. "Senate
Constitutional Amendments") are proposed to change the State's Constitution. It must be passed by 3/5th
of the members of each chamber and placed on the next statewide ballot for the citizens vote. These
amendments are a special form of a joint resolution.